jump off the waterfall – are you crazy?

Would you jump from here?

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… With myself and 4 others gathered at the top of the fall, our guide dutifully pointed out the best angle at which to jump so as not require the services of either a stretcher or neck brace. Then, whilst waving his arms wildly and delivering something akin to an war cry by an Apache with Tourette’s Syndrome, he promptly disappeared over the edge. I stood for a moment, stunned by what I thought I had just seen. It just didn’t add up. Y’know, for a moment I could have sworn that he just jumped off the edge – but surely he can’t have, that would have been incalculable stupidity.

As our guide swam toward the shallows (which, I must say, took a reassuringly long time) he flipped over onto his back and shouted up to the 5 bewildered gringos AKA ‘Team Terrified’ yet to make the jump.

“You must jump out far as you can…!” he hollered, looking exceedingly chuffed with himself and wiping the spray from his hair and face. Almost as an afterthought he followed up with “…And watch out for the rocks!” as if we weren’t already well aware of their unyielding, body-busting presence.

To see if he survives, read this trip report from a trek in El Impossible National Park, El Salvador: Wetter and Wilder: Impossible Thrills in El Salvador – UberTramp

If that fall looks too dangerous, consider this leap on the Great Ocean Walk in Australia instead:

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Frank in Oz

Iceland waterfall photo

From Reykyavik, Iceland …

It’s an incredible place, surrounded by an unrelenting and spectacular landscape that might only be described as an ice-age Wyoming.

As harsh as that might sound , the single emotion that came back in my luggage from Iceland with me was none other than jealousy.

wicked outdoorsy: The Hard Way

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Falls Trail, Ricketts Glen, Pennsylvania

Brian Burgit recommends a wet and wild day hike. Looks great.

Falls Trail: difficult hiking

The full loop of this trail is 7.2 miles if hiking both the upper and lower sections. To see most of the waterfalls, a 3.2-mile loop can be taken by going on Highland Trail and the Glen Leigh and Ganoga Glen sides of the trail.

The trails follow along 21 beautiful waterfalls ranging in heights from 11-feet to 94-feet. The scenery is well worth the effort, however, the terrain is rocky, can be slippery, and descends steeply on both the Ganoga and Glen Leigh sides.

The Falls Trail is closed in the winter except for properly equipped ice climbers and hikers.

details – Pennsylvania State Parks – Ricketts Glen Trails – PA DCNR

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waterfalls of New Zealand

When I lived in New Zealand I strongly felt the least appreciated wonder of the country were waterfalls.

Rarely are they highlighted in any list of “tourist attractions”.

That wrong has finally been righted.

A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls

A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls

JOHNNY T. Cheng is a waterfall enthusiast who has published books on falls in Norway and Yosemite National Park in California.

His A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls is a foray into New Zealand that covers more than 100 falls. This is a practical guide, with maps and clear driving directions plus the small details needed for choosing your visit and negotiating the falls once you get there.

Judith Elen in The Australian

best of the Canadian Rockies – Emperor Falls

Of many, many highlights hiking Mt. Robson / Berg Lake in the Rockies, getting a shower under majestic Emperor Falls was most special. I’d actually never heard of these Falls before I hiked Mt. Robson. The are the most impressive in Western Canada, I reckon.

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It’s positively dangerous. Get as wet as you want.

A good contest for your group is to see who can get closest to the force of the Falls.

I posted a number of Emperor Falls photos on flickr from our 2003 hike.

CanyonWiki – canyoneering information

Wow. A wiki dedicated to the wonderful but still somewhat obscure sport of canyoneering … or canyoning. (The use of these words and what they mean is still being debated.)

The best trips involves abseiling down through waterfalls.

But canyoning can also involve hiking, scrambling, climbing, jumping, swimming and “li-loing” (using an inflatable air mattress).

Check out CanyonWiki.com

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